Pompeo To Take Up Immigration, Iran On Latin America Tour
Sumaira FH Published July 17, 2019 | 12:16 AM
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will press US efforts to curb immigration and counter Iran during a four-nation tour of Latin America, the State Department said Tuesday
Pompeo on Sunday will stop in both Mexico and El Salvador as President Donald Trump takes controversial measures to deter and remove mostly Central American migrants who are seeking safety in the United States.
Under a new policy, the Trump administration is declaring ineligible for asylum most migrants who cross the US southern border through Mexico.
Under threat of US tariffs, Mexico last month agreed to take in migrants from violence-riven Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador as the United States processes their claims.
But Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, who negotiated last month's accord and will meet Pompeo in Mexico City, has voiced disagreement with the latest US moves, rejecting efforts to limit refuge for people who fear for their lives.
Pompeo will start his tour in Argentina where he will take part on Friday in a "counterterrorism ministerial" among Western Hemisphere nations.
The ministerial will commemorate the 25th anniversary of a bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people.
Argentina suspects the attack was carried out by the Lebanese Shiite militant movement Hezbollah, but efforts to question Iran, the group's Primary sponsor, have been roiled by political interference and allegations of high-level corruption.
The State Department said that Pompeo -- who has made the fight against socialism in Latin America a top priority -- will also meet with Argentina's President Mauricio Macri, a center-right leader who is seen as facing a tough re-election fight in October.
Pompeo will travel on Saturday to Ecuador's commercial port of Guayaquil to meet President Lenin Moreno.
Relations with Washington have warmed since Ecuador evicted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from its London embassy, where he was holed up for nearly seven years as he sought to avoid extradition.
Pompeo will also make two stops on US soil.
He will visit Puerto Rico to meet State Department employees involved in the recovery from Hurricane Maria.
Pompeo, a West Point graduate, will end his trip next Monday with a speech in Orlando before the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
3 Gawadar attack victims funeral offered
Mbappe says he will leave PSG at end of season
Usmani felicitates Sardar Saleem on taking oath as Punjab Governor
DC for provision of facilities to people in Lasbela
Solar storm could bring auroras, power and telecoms disruptions
Court grants interim bail to PTI leaders
Ulema, Mashaykh call for political accountability, collaboration for Pakistan's ..
SHRC asks NADRA to issue CNICs to transgender as per law
Flash floods kill 50 in one day in north Afghanistan
CDA chief expresses commitment to promoting modern-day technologies
By wide margin, UN General Assembly votes to back Palestinian bid for membership ..
Musadik slams PTI's political approach as provocative
More Stories From World
-
Djokovic struck with bottle from stands after winning Rome opener
9 minutes ago -
England great Anderson's Test career under threat after McCullum talks - report
49 minutes ago -
Senegal launches inquiry into Boeing jet runway crash
49 minutes ago -
Madagascan leader's former aide jailed in UK for graft
1 hour ago -
Seven killed as bus crashes into river in Russia's St Petersburg
1 hour ago -
Mbappe confirms he will leave PSG at end of season
1 hour ago
-
Fresh rains pound Brazil's flood-hit south as evacuations double
2 hours ago -
Solar storm could bring auroras, power and telecoms disruptions
2 hours ago -
Flash floods kill 50 in one day in north Afghanistan
2 hours ago -
By wide margin, UN General Assembly votes to back Palestinian bid for membership; Pakistan backs
2 hours ago -
Xi Jinping leaves Hungary, ends European tour: TV
2 hours ago -
S. Africa's top court hears critical Zuma election case
2 hours ago